Women's Tennis

#60 Bears Win Pair of Ivy Matches

Apr 11, 2009

April 11, 2009

PROVIDENCE, RI - The 60th-ranked Brown women's tennis team (18-3, 4-1) won both of its matches over the weekend, defeating Columbia, 6-1, on Friday afternoon at the outdoor courts and Cornell, 7-0, at the indoor courts. The Bears won the double point both days to earn their 13th and 14th straight doubles points and then dropped just one of the 12 singles matches en route to the victory.

On Friday against Columbia, the Bears were on their way to a 7-0 sweep, winning all three dobules mathces and then five singles matches in straight sets. The Lions picked up their lone point at #4 doubles, where freshman Carissa Aboubakare (Orange, CA), who had one her first set, 6-2, and was up, 2-1, in the second, was forced to retire.

On Saturday, the doubles matches were a lot closer, but Brown won at #2 and #3 to come away with the point. Juniors Emily Ellis (Ft. Worth, TX) and Kathrin Sorokko (Douglaston, NY) were off the court first, winning 8-6 at #3. The victory gave them their 19th win of the season as a doubles pairing, as they tied the Brown record for doubles wins in a season by a team, set last year by sophomores Bianca Aboubakare (Orange, CA) and Marisa Schonfeld (Washington, DC). Ellis and Sorokko are now 19-10 on the season, including a 12-6 mark at the #3 position. Cornell tied the doubles action with a win at #1 doubles, setting up the deciding match at #2.

After falling behind, 5-4, Carissa Aboubakare and senior Sara Mansur (Houston, TX) won three straight games to take the match, 8-5, and give Brown the doubles point.

In singles action, the Bears then won easily at #1 and #2, as Bianca Aboubakare posted a 6-1, 6-1 win at #1 and freshman Cassandra Herzberg (Miami Beach, FL) claimed a 6-0, 6-1 win at #2. Junior Tanja Vucetic (Aventura, FL) clinched the match for the Bears with a 6-3, 6-3 win at #3 singles.

Freshman Julie Flanzer (Highland Park, IL) put Brown up, 5-0, with a come-from-behind win at #5. After falling behind, 3-1 and then 4-2, in the first set, Flanzer won four straight games to take the first set, 6-4. She then went up, 1-0, in the second, before her opponent retired.

Brown's final two matches were also both won in come-from-behind fashion. Mansur earned a three-set win at #4 singles and then freshman Jennifer Lee (Sudbury, MA). playing her first Ivy match of the season, closed out the day with a win in straight sets at #6. After dropping her first set, 6-4, Mansur forced a third set with a 6-4 win in the second. Since the match was already decided, Mansur and her opponent went to a tiebreaker. Mansur was down, 8-6, but came back to win, 11-9.

Lee quickly won her first set, 6-2, and then found herself down, 4-1 and 5-2 in the second set. She came all the way back, winning five straight games, to take the match, 7-5, and give Brown the shutout.